Can junk food be addictive?

What is junk food?

Junk foods are processed foods high in fat, sugar and/or salt. These foods are kilojoule dense, yet relatively low in nutrients, and includes foods such as lollies, chocolate bars, ice cream, soft drink, potato crisps, hot chips, pizza, fried foods and hamburgers.

While there is room to include these foods occasionally as part of balanced diet and active lifestyle, consuming these foods more than once or twice a week can make it harder to control your weight.

Is junk food addictive?

The diagnostic criteria for dependence includes a persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit, and continued use despite knowledge of adverse consequences, such as weight gain.

However, it is difficult to identify one addictive ingredient in junk food, because processed foods can have dozens of ingredients.

Sugar has received the most attention. One study showed that foods with a high glycemic index (GI) caused blood-sugar levels to spike suddenly, and this sugar rush stimulates the same areas of the brain associated with addiction as nicotine and other drugs.

According to the researchers, people who binged on high GI foods experienced symptoms of addiction and suffered withdrawal symptoms. In essence, people lost some control over their ability to regulate their consumption of refined foods.

However, more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be made about junk food’s addictive qualities. There are many other factors that influence food choice, such as environment, social cues, personal likes and dislikes and emotional state.

Kicking the junk food habit

Whether junk food is proven to be addictive or not, there are things you can do to reduce your intake. Follow these tips to help cut back

Get informed – Learn more about the ingredients and the kilojoule content of the foods you’re eating. When you know that one glass of soft drink takes 30 minutes of walking to burn off, a glass of water becomes a lot more appealing.
Go low GI – Just like a patch that releases a smaller dose of nicotine slowly, low GI foods release glucose slowly into the blood stream may help to reduce food cravings.
Make it harder to come by – Keep your home and office free from junk food. If it’s not close at hand, you’ll be less likely to eat it.
Cut back gradually – Slowly wean yourself off junk foods so new eating habits replace old ones over time. This gives your taste buds time to adjust, and will be easier than going cold turkey.
Seek help – Don’t be afraid to seek help from a dietician or psychologist if you feel like you have a problem with food.

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Other references available on request